Secrets to Launching Successful Online Rewards Programs

by:
Steve DamerowJune 19, 2017

If you’re thinking of launching an online rewards program, there’s a lot to take into consideration. That’s why we’ve assembled some of our top tips to help you brainstorm the perfect rewards program for your participants. As a bonus, here are some S.M.A.R.T tips to keep in mind when preparing to launch your new rewards program.

Specific:

The first step in creating a successful online rewards program is to consider exactly why, for whom, and to what end you’re creating the program. Are you focusing your efforts on a single team, a portion of your salesforce, or to your entire business? Do you want your program to help build company loyalty, reward your hardest workers, or just boost numbers? Without a strong, clear-cut foundation for your rewards program to rest on, it has a good chance of crumbling. Being specific in what you want your program layout to be like will also make it easier to establish goals.

Measurable:

Having vague, general goals are a program-killer. Clearly defined goals will help your rewards program participants to know exactly what they need to shoot for. Setting up a visual reminder to track progress (a colorful chart in the breakroom, for example) will motivate participants to see the program through to completion.

Achievable:

Sometimes a very high goal can be intimidating for rewards program participants. But that’s not to say that you can’t encourage them to reach for it! Just remember to break up your big, main goal into smaller, more easily achievable chunks. This will help your participants to feel like they’re making steady progress towards the end-goal.

Realistic:

Most importantly, your online rewards program goals need to be possible to accomplish. It’s good to raise the bar, but raising it too high can make it frustratingly out of reach and can cause your participants to give up. Setting a 400% increase in sales goal may seem like a great idea, but for most businesses the chances of that happening are slim. Failed goals lead to disappointed and disengaged program participants!

Timely:

Keeping your rewards program participants up-to-date with progress towards their end-goal will help to encourage participation. Be sure to use email and push notifications to send out reminders as well as progress updates—keep them engaged with the program’s success!